There are certain things you can count on almost every spring in local softball.

Brandywine will be very strong in Berks County, Pleasant Valley will be very strong in Monroe County and no one will be able to beat Mother Nature.

Certainly, all of those certainties apply this season as Brandywine and Pleasant Valley figure to be strong in their respective divisions.

But no one can beat Mother Nature, who has kept most area fields unplayable and may deliver another blast Friday, which was supposed to be opening day for the 2015 season.

Here's a look at the six Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Mountain Division teams along with Brandywine and Kutztown from Berks County and Schuylkill members Lehighton and Jim Thorpe, as well as independent Lincoln Leadership:

•Outlook: Delong said his team has two strong senior leaders and a bunch of young players who are eager to play softball. The T-wolves have to work the count more on offense, and bunting will be a key. Defensively, mental errors need to be avoided. If the team's young pitcher can throw strikes and the underclassmen get used to varsity softball fast, look for this team to win some games.

•Outlook: The Cavs have strong senior leadership on and off the field. Bedell's counting on several talented underclassmen to emerge. She has an experienced returning pitcher on the mound, with a promising young catcher to complete the battery. She wants her team to be more aggressive on the bases and focus on the fundamentals.

PLEASANT VALLEY

•Coach: Steve Caffrey (22nd season)

•2014 season: 20-5, 11-1 (tied for first in MVC)

•Postseason: Defeated PM East and Stroudsburg for MVC title; defeated Freedom 5-4; Bangor 8-3 in District 11 4A tournament before losing to Parkland 6-1 in finals.

•Outlook: Caffrey has a good group of experienced players back and a quality pitcher. Many of the younger players will have to work to make the transition from JV to varsity. Caffrey is concerned about a lack of depth, but the goals remain the same as in the past — and that's to win league and district championships.

•Outlook: Johnson said "eventually, we're actually going to get on our field and play a game." When the Cardinals do, she expects her team to score runs. The biggest question mark is in the pitching department and defense. So much depends on the health of certain players. It may take a while for her team to get going, but Johnson expects to be competitive in the division.

•Outlook: Ambrosius, who was head coach at Bangor two years ago, takes over for Briana Malachowski, who is now a JV coach at Bangor. Ambrosius was a Panthers assistant last year. "I'm just trying to continue what Briana and I started last year, and what we have always strived to do is master fundamentals and get the kids to improve." Just being competitive would be a big step forward for this program. The key to our success this year will be tightening our defense," Ambrosius said.

STROUDSBURG

•Coach: Maynard Frantz (seventh season)

•Last season: 14-9, 11-1 (tied for first in MVC)

•Postseason: Defeated Lehighton, lost to Pleasant Valley in MVC tourney; lost to Nazareth.

♦Outlook: Even though his team has yet to practice outside, Frantz said his team expects to be competitive in the new EPC. Molinaro and Gioglio will share pitching duties and will keep the Mounties in most games. Both were Mountain Valley Conference all-stars last season along with Pizzo and Emily Cramer. The Mounties will play Freedom, Easton, Whitehall, Northampton, Liberty and Emmaus in its cross-division games. "That'll be a challenge, but we're looking forward to it," Frantz said.

BERKS

BRANDYWINE

•Coach: Don Roach (15th season, 280-57)

•2014 season: 21-3, 10-0 (first in Berks County Division III)

•Postseason: Defeated Daniel Boone 2-0 for Berks County title; lost to Delone Catholic 9-4 in District 3 semis.

•Outlook: If it's an odd year, it probably means the Bullets are destined to make a run at another state title. They lost in the PIAA finals in 2005, '07, '09 and '11 before breaking through for a 1-0 win over Riverside in the 2013 2A final at Penn State. Roach admits this season is "a big puzzle," but he has some significant pieces in place. He will have to replace three quality players who led the program to a 95-11 record over the previous four seasons and won "everything there is for a Brandywine softball player to win." He has a "talented group and interesting cast of characters." Expect the Bullets to be one of Berks' and District 3's best again.

KUTZTOWN

•Coach: Kevin Conrad (fourth season, 48-21)

•2014 season: 14-7, 8-2 (second in Berks III)

•Postseason: Lost to Pequea Valley 2-0 in the District 3 2A quarterfinals

•Outlook: Conrad said the Cougars have been coming together nicely. "The goal, as always, is to be playing into June," he said. "We have a challenging early schedule which we are hoping will help get us prepared for any playoffs later in the season. We are looking for our senior leadership to provide experience. With our numbers we have a lot of versatility this year."

•Outlook: The Olympians' goal is to continue to build on the progress shown last year and to play together as a team. "Our returning players are a good core group of girls with talent and great attitudes," Bott said. "They are ready to challenge themselves to step up to the next level and are willing to do whatever it will take to have a successful year."

LEHIGHTON

•Coach: Brian Poremba (third season, 14-26)

•2014 season: 9-11, 7-5 (third in MVC)

•Postseason: Lost to Stroudsburg in MVC semis; lost to Wilson 11-1 in the District 11 3A quarterfinals.

•Outlook: The Indians are in a new league and appear up to the challenge. "One thing for certain about playing in the Schuylkill League is that there are many well-coached and highly skilled players which is evident by their postseason play over the years. This is an exciting time," Poremba said. Last year the Indians broke through for league and district playoff berths. All starters from last year are returning, which should paint a very positive outlook for this season. "There is a certain level of maturity and investment I have been seeing from our girls, and I expect that to show on and off the field all year long," Poremba said.

•Outlook: Covely, the former Salisbury coach, is looking forward to his second season at Lincoln. "We have a very good turnout and the girls are excited," he said. "They are working hard under the circumstances with the weather, but they are doing good. Our pitching is looking solid with two new additions. If we put solid defense behind them and score a few runs early, we could be OK."